My name is Rob Jefferies I am 21 originally from Huddersfield West Yorkshire. I took up Flat Water Kayaking as an 11 year old. My Kayaking progressed from competing locally in Flat Water Marathon Racing to nationally in Flat Water Sprint Racing. I was introduced to the discipline of Wild Water Racing shortly after taking up kayaking and loved the adrenaline rush of throwing myself down a fast flowing river and trying to be the fastest against the clock to the bottom.

When I took up kayaking I didn’t think I would be where I am today, competing internationally at a senior level for Great Britain. In 2008 I was selected as a junior development paddler to compete at the junior pre World Championships which gave me the urge to train harder and become faster. This prevailed the following year with selection for my first Junior World Championships where I gained valuable knowledge about self preparation and how to deal with the pressure of being on the world class stage. Due to injury I missed out on selection for the following two years by which point I was a senior, this brought a whole new field of competitors and meant I had to train harder to be able to compete at the same level.

2014 was my first year being selected for Great Britain in Wild Water Racing as a senior for the World Cup races in Lofer Austria, I raced among the best senior paddlers in the world and this has left me wanting to move up the rankings and compete at the European Championships in 2015.

Wild Water Racing is a non Olympic discipline which leaves it without any funding, in order for me to pay for my travel costs I have to work full time and train during lunch breaks as well as after work. Even with working full time I still cannot afford to buy a new racing kayak which is £1650 without delivery costs from the Czech Republic, a new kayak paddle would cost £300 and the average cost of a trip to the European Championships would be between £500 and £750.

With these costs added together a years kayaking can cost me nearly £3000 without adding in all the extra travel costs to training venues within the UK and the costs of hotels for training weekends.

I hope to achieve greatness in the next few years and with your help I hope this can become a more achievable goal.